Dihing River | |
Name Other: | Burhi Dihing River |
Pushpin Map: | India Assam#India |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Assam, India |
Subdivision Type1: | Country |
Subdivision Name1: | India |
Length: | 380km (240miles) |
Source1: | Patkai Hills |
Source1 Elevation: | 2375m (7,792feet) |
Mouth: | Brahmaputra River |
Mouth Coordinates: | 27.2333°N 94.7°W[1] |
Basin Size: | 6000km2 |
Dihing or Burhi Dihing (Dihong = wide river) is a large tributary, about 380km (240miles) long,[2] of the Brahmaputra River in Upper Assam in northeastern India. The river originates at 2375m (7,792feet) above sea level in the Eastern Himalayas (the Patkai Hills)[2] in Arunachal Pradesh and flows through Tinsukia and Dibrugarh Districts in Assam to its confluence with the Brahmaputra at Dihingmukh. Its watershed covers about 6000km2.[2] The Dihing has created number of oxbow lakes in the area.
Namdapha river is a tributary of the Dihing on its northern bank. Disang river is a tributary of the Dihing in its southern bank. The Jeypore-Dihing Rainforest, Namdapha National Park, numerous petroleum fields, wet-paddy fields, bamboo orchards and tea gardens provide a unique landscape along its course. Ledo, Margherita, Digboi, Duliajan and Naharkatia (Nahorkotiya) are the small towns in its valley. Dihing is one of the largest contributors to the Brahmaputra River. The plains of the Dihing Valley has a rich variety of flora and fauna. The Betel nuts are produced most in the areas of the Dihing Plains.
According to historical as well as geographical records, the Dihing once flowed through entire Upper Assam and met the Brahmaputra at Mahuramukh in Bokakhat. At that time the rivers Disang, Dikhou, Disai, Dhansiri were all tributaries to the Dihing. The river later dried out during the 17th century (as mentioned in Buranjis) and changed course to join the Brahmaputra at Dihingmukh. Even before that, the river met the Brahmaputra near the confluence of Subansiri river. At that time the Dikhou river had an independent route and flowed as Kolong and joined the Brahmaputra at Kajalimukh in Nagaon district.[3]